State acquisition of Torrington’s historic Hendey property on hold as further discussion, study takes place

One of two buildings at the former Hendey Machine Co. site originally set for demolition by the state to make way for the new transit district maintenance center.
Esteban L. Hernandez — The Register Citizen

A Northwestern Connecticut Transit District bus parked outside the district’s headquarters on East Main Street as seen on May 5 in Torrington.
Esteban L. Hernandez — The Register Citizen

TORRINGTON >> The state’s plans to purchase and demolish a historic building in Torrington are being put on hold as discussion and further study promoted by the state’s historic preservation office take place.

“Right now we have not moved forward with the project...[there are] no changes in the plans,” Hanifin said.

The state’s Historic Preservation Trust didn’t get involved with the discussion of the possible building demolition until late last year, after their officer, Daniel T. Forrest, sent a letter to the DOT seeking an opportunity for further review and comment on the project. That letter helped prompt further discussion about the project with more consideration from Forrest’s office.

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Todd Levine, an environmental reviewer for the preservation office, said his office would have liked being invited earlier in the discussion process, which would have given his office an opportunity to vocalize their concerns earlier. They are currently negotiating with DOT and the City of Torrington about the project.

City Planner Martin Connor said this week that he hasn’t heard back from the city regarding the project for several weeks.

Levine said that both departments are discussing the project with the goal of redevelopment in mind. He said the goal is to arrive on a compromise to preserve as much of the building as possible without impeding progress.

“Everybody recognizes the importance of the building,” Levine said. “This is a good example of collaboration between stage agencies, the city and the owners.”

The building is owned by Summer St. Partnership of Goshen.

Hanifin said DOT understands the historic nature of the building. He said the preservation office has asked if there is a way to preserve the building, although DOT has determined that the building cannot be reused as part of their tentative plans. He said the preservation office is currently documenting the historic aspects of the property and completing an environmental review.

“We are waiting for them to complete that process so the project can move forward,” Hanifin said.

The parcel includes two buildings: The larger parcel, Machine Shop 1, is about 39,000 square feet and was built in 1900. The second parcel, the Pattern Shop, is about 8,000 square feet and was built in 1947, according to the city’s assessor’s office.

“The state is concerned,” Levine said. “This is a historic building that we want to preserve. It’s a major part of the city of Torrington.”

Their concern is shared locally by the Torrington Historic Preservation Trust, which is also in favor of redevelopment, but not destruction, of the building. They are hosting a screening of a documentary made in 2004 about the Hendey Company on Friday in hopes of bringing more attention to the project. The screening is co-sponsored by the Torrington Historical Society.

“This isn’t a throwaway building,” Levine said.

Levine said some of the redevelopment suggestions their office has made include retaining a portion of the building and incorporating to the tentative plans for the bus hub. The key is to find something feasible, Levine said, as his office has requested DOT engineers consider keeping portions of the building.

“[The preservation office] is open minded about finding an adaptive reuse of this building,” Levine said.